1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to insulating double-glazing glass and refers in particular to a device for the mounting thereof on a fixed frame, more preferably onto a preformed border structure defining an opening in a building.
In the following description, the expression "insulating glass" will be also used to include "insulating double-glazing".
Double-glazing according to the present invention is intended to be applied on fixed windows, always to be kept locked shut.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Insulating windows known in the art are conventionally constructed by two sheets of glass between which a metal frame is interplaced and bonded together by a sealant along their peripheral edges.
The frame serves to define an air space between the sheets of glass and also contains dehydrating substances on the inside. The frame is usually employed as a spacer and this term will be used in the following description.
The sheets of glass and the spacer are bonded together by two sealing agents. The first sealant is butyl-based in order to prevent moisture seepage into the air space and avoid internal misting of the sheets of glass. The second sealant acts to bond together the components of the insulating glass and protect them from the outside atmospheric conditions.
Insulating double-glazing thus prepared is then mounted, by methods already known in the art, on pre-constructed frames which are in turn mounted on building walls.
In a modified embodiment, the double-glazing can be fixed directly onto the window structure with fastening members, thereby improving its appearance in that none of the components of the structure are shown apart from the glass.
The sealant used for securing the insulating glass onto the building structure is a commercially available high-strength adhesive, particularly suited to such applications, which is commonly known as structural silicone. This term will hereinafter used.
As said hereinbefore, the inner sheet of the insulating glass is secured to the building structure by bonding, whereas the outer sheet is held fast by the cohesive force exerted by the structural silicone inserted into the peripheral cavity between the outer edges of the two sheets of glass and the spacer.
Consequently, under particularly severe environmental conditions, such as a strong winds or heavy rain, or in the event of excessive structural strain impairted there to by the building, a partial or total breaking of the structural silicone junctions between the sheets could occur thereby detaching the insulating glass from the building face.
It should also be noted that following the above indicated assembly procedure, the quantity of structural silicone required to hold together the sheets forming the insulating glass and to bond the insulating glass to the building structure is rather large. In fact, each element is bonded to the adjacent one and these bonds must also ensure the required sealing.